Lipid clinic marketing: cholesterol screening, USPSTF wording, natural claims and red yeast rice

A cholesterol or lipid clinic sells something a patient cannot feel. High cholesterol has no pain, no rash and no warning, so the patient arrives because of a lab report, a family history, a heart attack in a parent or a referral from a primary care office. The clinic may sit inside a cardiology group, a primary care or internal medicine practice, an endocrinology practice, a preventive or concierge practice, or a hospital outpatient service. This guide covers what the federal sources say about testing and treatment, how to write about screening when the sources differ, the emergency wording each page needs, inherited high cholesterol and family members, home test kits, “lower cholesterol naturally” and supplement claims, and money from partners.

Nine related topics have their own guides and are not repeated here. Heart practice pages, imaging and cardiac testing are covered in our guide to cardiology practice marketing, and blood pressure programs in our guide to hypertension program marketing. Screening tables at fairs and community events are covered in our guide to health fair screening events, and lab tests sold straight to consumers in our guide to direct-to-consumer lab testing marketing. Nutrition counseling is covered in our guide to dietitian marketing, products sold at the front desk in our guide to selling supplements in a medical practice, gene tests in our guide to genetic testing marketing, Medicare preventive visits in our guide to annual wellness visit outreach, and video visits in our guide to telehealth marketing. For risk check invitations and free screening offers, see heart health screening outreach.

What NHLBI, MedlinePlus, CDC, USPSTF and NCCIH say

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) publishes the federal patient pages on blood cholesterol, MedlinePlus from the National Library of Medicine adds pages on the cholesterol test and on inherited high cholesterol, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains testing, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issues screening and prevention recommendations for clinicians, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) covers red yeast rice. The points that shape a clinic’s marketing:

• The NHLBI Symptoms page (last updated April 18, 2024) says high levels of LDL cholesterol generally do not cause symptoms. The MedlinePlus Cholesterol page (last updated March 18, 2025) says the same, and the CDC About Cholesterol page (May 15, 2024) says the only way to know whether you have high cholesterol is to get your cholesterol checked by your health care team.
• The NHLBI Diagnosis page (last updated April 18, 2024) and the MedlinePlus Cholesterol Levels test page (last updated October 15, 2024) give a general guide to when to test: a first test between ages 9 and 11 and again every 5 years for those 19 or younger, every 5 years for younger adults, every 1 to 2 years for men ages 45 to 65 and women ages 55 to 65, and every year after 65. Both say the timing depends on age, risk factors and family history.
• The USPSTF final recommendation on screening for lipid disorders in children and adolescents (July 18, 2023) concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening in people 20 years or younger who have no signs or symptoms. That is an I statement, not a recommendation for or against.
• The USPSTF final recommendation on statin use for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (August 23, 2022) is a grade B recommendation for adults ages 40 to 75 with one or more risk factors and an estimated 10-year risk of 10 percent or greater, a grade C recommendation to selectively offer the medicine at an estimated risk of 7.5 to less than 10 percent, and an I statement for adults 76 or older. It is addressed to clinicians, and the clinician summary says to start the medicine after discussing the rationale and provided the patient agrees.
• The NHLBI Treatment page (last updated April 19, 2024) says a provider may recommend heart-healthy lifestyle changes and prescribe medicines. The NHLBI Living With High Cholesterol page (last updated April 19, 2024) tells patients not to stop a cholesterol medicine on their own, and to call 9-1-1 immediately for symptoms of a heart attack or stroke.
• The MedlinePlus Genetics page Familial hypercholesterolemia (last updated January 1, 2020, so older than the other pages here) describes it as an inherited condition with very high levels of cholesterol in the blood. The NHLBI Causes and Risk Factors page (last updated April 19, 2024) says unhealthy cholesterol levels can affect people of all ages, even young children.
• The NCCIH page Red Yeast Rice: What You Need To Know (last updated November 2022) says it is impossible for consumers to know the amount of the active substance in red yeast rice products, that according to FDA products with enhanced or added amounts of a substance identical to an approved cholesterol drug cannot be marketed as a dietary supplement, and that some products contain a contaminant that can damage the kidneys.

Two points shape the marketing. First, high cholesterol is silent, so the clinic’s whole case rests on testing and risk, not on symptoms a patient can recognize. That makes it tempting to frighten people or to promise what a lower number will do, and the federal sources support neither. Second, the sources do not all say the same thing about who should be tested and when. A page that says “experts recommend” has to name which expert body, what it said and when.

Writing about screening when the sources differ

The clearest example is children. NHLBI and MedlinePlus give a general guide that starts testing between ages 9 and 11. The USPSTF, in its 2023 statement, found the evidence insufficient to assess screening in people 20 or younger without symptoms. Both are federal sources, and both are current as of the date we checked. A clinic page can quote either, with the source and its date, but should not merge them into “every child should be tested” or “the government recommends testing kids”. If the clinic follows a particular guideline, say which one and that the clinician decides with the family. Our guide to pediatric practice marketing covers writing for parents.

For adults, the USPSTF statement on preventive cholesterol medicine is written for clinicians and turns on an estimated 10-year risk, not on a cholesterol number alone. A page can say that the clinic estimates each patient’s risk and discusses options, and can quote the USPSTF grades with the date. It should not turn the statement into a promise that a patient will or will not need medicine, and it should not quote a risk calculator result as a diagnosis. NHLBI says a provider may use a risk calculator to estimate the chance of a heart attack or stroke and to decide whether medicine is needed; that is the clinician’s step, not the website’s.

Phrases that need rewriting:

• “Everyone should know their numbers by age 9.” NHLBI and MedlinePlus give that as a general guide, and the USPSTF found the evidence for screening children insufficient. Quote each with its date, or say the clinician discusses testing with the family.
• “Clear your arteries.” A health benefit promise no source here supports. Describe what the clinic tests and how it follows up.
• “Avoid medication with our program.” Medicine decisions are the clinician’s and the patient’s. NHLBI tells patients not to stop a cholesterol medicine on their own. Remove it.
• “Normal cholesterol means a healthy heart.” The sources tie risk to several factors. Describe the risk review instead.
• “Our patients drop their LDL fast.” A results claim. Remove it unless the clinic has the data, the comparison and counsel’s review, and quote no number that is not sourced.

Under 15 U.S.C. 45, deceptive acts or practices in commerce are unlawful, and 15 U.S.C. 52 prohibits false advertisements likely to induce the purchase of drugs, devices, services or cosmetics. The FTC staff Health Products Compliance Guidance says claims about the health benefits or safety of health-related products require competent and reliable scientific evidence, and that an advertiser is responsible for the claims its ads convey, including implied ones. “Cut your heart attack risk” is a health benefit claim even without a number.

Emergency signs and 911 on every page and in every tool

A lipid clinic treats a condition with no symptoms, but its patients are people at risk of a heart attack or stroke, and some will write to the clinic about chest pain. Put the 911 line on the clinic pages, above the booking button and the contact form. A short version a clinic can use, close to the NHLBI words: if you think you or someone else is having symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, call 911 right away, even if you are not sure. The NHLBI Heart Attack Symptoms page (last updated March 24, 2022, so older) lists chest pain, heaviness or discomfort, pain in one or both arms, the back, shoulders, neck or jaw, shortness of breath, sweating for no reason, nausea, light-headedness and a rapid or irregular heartbeat, and says symptoms can be mild. Link the NHLBI page so readers can check the wording, and say who answers the clinic’s number and when.

The same wording belongs on voicemail, after-hours messages, patient portal autoreplies, text replies, chat widgets and AI front desk tools. A patient who writes “my chest feels tight” or “my arm is numb” after a lab result is not asking for an appointment. The tool should give the 911 line at once and alert staff, not judge the symptom or offer the next open slot. Our guides to AI chatbots on practice websites and answering services and AI receptionists cover how those tools hand off urgent messages.

Phrases that need rewriting:

• “Chest pain? Book a heart check this week.” Put the 911 line first, and the booking form after it.
• “High cholesterol is a silent killer, call now.” Fear wording with no source, placed where the emergency line belongs. Quote NHLBI and CDC on testing instead.
• “Message our lipid nurse any time.” Say who reads messages, during which hours, that the inbox is not watched around the clock, and give 911 for emergencies.

Inherited high cholesterol and family members

Familial hypercholesterolemia gives a lipid clinic a reason to reach relatives, and that is where privacy care matters. MedlinePlus Genetics describes it as inherited and explains how it passes from a parent. A clinic page can explain that relatives of a person with the condition may want to talk with their own clinician about testing, and can offer a letter or handout the patient chooses to share. Name no gene test brand and make no promise that a gene test will find a cause.

The patient’s diagnosis belongs to the patient. Contacting a patient’s relatives to promote the clinic, using the patient’s information, is marketing, and under 45 CFR 164.508 marketing uses of protected health information generally need the patient’s signed authorization. Let the patient decide who hears about it, and have counsel review any program that reaches relatives directly. Children in the family bring in the parent and consent rules covered in our guide to pediatric practice marketing, and gene tests the rules in our guide to genetic testing marketing.

For family outreach, keep these points:

• Give the patient a plain handout to share with relatives; the clinic does not contact relatives from the patient’s chart without a signed authorization and counsel’s review.
• Handouts name no patient, no result and no gene test brand.
• Describe the condition in the MedlinePlus Genetics wording, with its date, and say it is older than other sources where that matters.
• Say that relatives can talk with their own clinician; do not imply they must come to the clinic.

Home test kits and lab offers

A patient may come to a lipid clinic after a home cholesterol test kit or a fingerstick check at an event. The FDA page on cholesterol home use tests (content current as of February 4, 2018, so older) says the home test is about as accurate as the test a doctor uses when the directions are followed carefully, and says to talk to a doctor if the result is higher than 200 mg/dL. MedlinePlus repeats the 200 mg/dL line and says to follow the kit instructions carefully.

A clinic that hands out kits or offers a fingerstick check is making claims about a device and a result. Name no kit brand, quote the FDA and MedlinePlus wording with dates, and say what the clinic does with a high result: a full lipid panel, a visit or a referral. Our guides to direct-to-consumer lab testing and health fair screening events cover lab offers and event screening in detail.

“Lower cholesterol naturally” and supplement claims

Google’s search suggestions, which we checked on October 30, 2026, offer “lower cholesterol naturally”, “lower cholesterol without medication” and “lower cholesterol supplements” to a person who starts typing “lower cholesterol”. A clinic can meet those searches honestly. NHLBI says a provider may recommend heart-healthy lifestyle changes, and points to its own eating plans; a page can describe the clinic’s nutrition and activity counseling in those terms, and our guide to dietitian marketing covers nutrition services. What a page cannot do is promise that lifestyle alone will reach a number, or that it replaces medicine a clinician recommends.

Supplements are where the risk is greatest. FDA’s Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements (content current as of August 27, 2026) says supplements do not need FDA approval before they are marketed, and that a product intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent a disease is a drug and not a supplement. NCCIH says consumers cannot know how much of the active substance a red yeast rice product contains, that FDA considers products with enhanced or added amounts to be unapproved new drugs, that products with significant amounts can have the same side effects and drug interactions as the prescription medicine, and that red yeast rice products are not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding. The NCCIH page is from November 2022; check it and FDA’s pages again before each review.

A clinic that sells supplements at the front desk or online is the seller, and the FTC guidance applies to its claims. Our guide to selling supplements in a medical practice covers the full rules. Name no supplement brand on clinic pages.

Phrases that need rewriting:

• “Lower your cholesterol naturally, no prescription needed.” Steers patients away from treatment the clinician may recommend. Describe the counseling the clinic offers instead.
• “Red yeast rice works just like a statin.” A drug claim for a supplement. NCCIH says products vary and some cannot be sold legally as supplements. Remove it.
• “Our cholesterol support formula.” A supplement with an implied disease claim. FDA says a product intended to treat or prevent a disease is a drug and not a supplement. Remove it, or have counsel review the label and the page.
• “Safe, natural and side-effect free.” NCCIH describes side effects, interactions and contamination. Remove it.
• “Reverse plaque with diet.” A health benefit claim with no source in this guide. Remove it.

Treatment claims and medicine names

Lipid care involves several classes of medicine, some taken by mouth and some injected, and the names change as new products are approved. Name no medicine, device or product brand in ads and on pages, and give no doses. Describe the categories in the NHLBI wording, such as lifestyle changes and medicines to lower blood cholesterol, and say the clinician chooses what fits each patient. Put a “last reviewed” date on the treatment page with [Clinician name, license] for the clinician who reviewed it, and review sooner when NHLBI, USPSTF or FDA posts a change. Prescription drug advertising has its own rules that this guide does not cover; leave product promotion to the manufacturer and to counsel.

Phrases that need rewriting:

• “Ask us about the new injectable cholesterol shot” with a brand name. Name no product; say the clinician reviews treatment options with each patient.
• “Specialist access to the newest cholesterol drugs.” Implies better results from a product. Describe the clinic’s review and follow-up.
• “Stop your side effects, switch to us.” NHLBI says not to stop or change medicine on your own. Say the clinician discusses side effects and options.

Prices, Medicare and free offers

Patients ask what a lipid panel, a visit and follow-up tests cost. The Medicare.gov page Cardiovascular disease screenings (checked October 30, 2026) says Part B covers blood tests for cholesterol, lipid and triglyceride levels once every 5 years, and that the patient pays nothing for the tests if the provider accepts assignment. Quote that with the date, and do not stretch it to follow-up panels or visits. Our guides to marketing to Medicare patients, advertising cash prices and good faith estimates for self-pay patients cover how to state a price and what uninsured and self-pay patients must receive. A “free cholesterol check” follows 16 CFR 251.1, which says a free offer must not be recouped through a raised price or a reduced quantity or quality elsewhere, and the terms of the offer should be stated at the outset.

Referrals, labs and sponsors

Lipid clinics draw partners: primary care offices, cardiology groups, reference labs, specialty pharmacies, supplement makers, gyms and employers, and drug makers with education programs. Under 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b(b), the federal anti-kickback statute, it is a crime to knowingly and willfully offer, pay, solicit or receive any remuneration to induce or reward referrals of items or services payable by a federal health care program. Rules on referral fees are also set state by state. Our guide to patient and physician referrals covers the general rules.

For a lipid clinic, keep these points:

• Do not give gifts, meals, free services or payments to referring offices in return for patients without counsel’s review.
• Free lab panels, staff or software from a lab or pharmacy go to counsel before any agreement is signed.
• Grants, educators, meals, speaker fees or materials from a drug maker or supplement maker go to counsel first. Payments to physicians may be reported publicly; our guide to Open Payments covers that.
• Community cholesterol talks say who is paying, and a sponsor does not choose the speakers or the products discussed. Our guide to patient education seminars covers event rules.
• Clinics that see Medicaid patients follow the rules in our guide to marketing to Medicaid patients.

Privacy, pixels and ads

A visit to a cholesterol page, a booking for a lipid panel or an uploaded lab report says something about a person’s health. Keep bookings, intake answers, lab results and page clicks out of tracking pixels and ad platform tools unless a written agreement covers them; our guide to tracking pixels on practice websites covers the setup. The Google Ads personalized advertising policy lists health among its sensitive interest categories and restricts targeting based on it. Ads can target by place and by search terms, and should not be built from a list of patients with high cholesterol.

Under 45 CFR 164.501, a reminder about the practice’s own treatment for an individual, such as a repeat lipid panel or a follow-up visit, can fall outside the definition of marketing, while a message that promotes a third party’s product generally needs a signed authorization under 45 CFR 164.508. Reminder texts name no diagnosis, no result and no medicine in the message text.

Patient stories

A patient who describes learning about an inherited condition, or who explains how they fit new habits into a busy week, can help a reader facing the same thing. It is still one person’s experience. Under 16 CFR 255.2, an ad that shows one person’s result on a key attribute is likely to be read as what others will generally achieve, unless the advertiser has substantiation for that or clearly and conspicuously discloses what people can generally expect. “My LDL dropped in half” is a results claim. Keep stories to the experience of care and the team.

Get a signed authorization under 45 CFR 164.508 where the practice is a covered entity, and consent for any photo or video. Name no medicine or supplement, say if the patient received anything for taking part, and let the patient review the final version. Our guides to patient photo consent and testimonials and before and after photos cover the full rules.

Illustration: two lipid clinic pages

Illustration: a page reads “High cholesterol is a silent killer. Lower your cholesterol naturally with our cholesterol support formula, safe and side-effect free, and avoid medication for good. Every child should be tested by age 9. Chest pain? Book a heart check this week.” It frightens without a source, makes a disease claim for a supplement, steers patients away from medicine, presents one guide for children as settled when the USPSTF found the evidence insufficient, and puts a booking link where the 911 line belongs.

Illustration: a second page for the same practice reads “If you think you are having symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, call 911 right away. High cholesterol generally has no symptoms, so a blood test is how it is found. At [Practice name], [Clinician name, license] reviews your test results, your family history and your other risk factors, and talks with you about lifestyle changes and, where it fits, medicine. Call [phone] during [days and hours].” It puts the emergency line first, quotes what the sources say about symptoms and testing, and promises nothing it cannot show.

Checklist before a lipid clinic campaign goes live

• NHLBI, MedlinePlus, CDC, USPSTF and NCCIH pages named and dated, with pages older than two years marked as older and checked against newer federal sources at each review.
• The 911 line above any booking button, and in voicemail, portal replies, text replies, chat and AI front desk tools.
• Screening wording names the source and date; the NHLBI and MedlinePlus guide for children is not presented as settled where the USPSTF found the evidence insufficient.
• No promise to clear arteries, avoid medicine or reach a number; no fear wording without a source.
• No medicine, supplement, kit or product brand names in ads or on pages, and no doses.
• Supplement and red yeast rice wording follows FDA and NCCIH; no disease claims for supplements; front desk sales reviewed under the supplements guide.
• Family outreach goes through the patient, with a handout; no contact with relatives from the chart without authorization and counsel’s review.
• Medicare wording quotes the screening benefit as written; free offers follow 16 CFR 251.1; cash prices and good faith estimates follow their guides.
• No gifts or payments to referral sources; lab, pharmacy, drug maker and supplement maker funding reviewed by counsel before signing; sponsors named.
• Bookings, lab uploads and results stay out of pixels and ad audiences; targeting by place and search terms only.
• Stories have signed authorizations, name no medicine or supplement, make no results claim and carry a statement of what patients can generally expect.

How we help

We build websites, local search, Google Ads and AI front desk tools for independent practices and health businesses, including practices that run lipid and cholesterol clinics. For a lipid clinic, that means a site that quotes NHLBI, MedlinePlus, CDC and the USPSTF as written and dated, puts the 911 line above the booking button, explains testing and risk review in plain words, and answers “lower cholesterol naturally” searches without supplement promises, plus booking and lab request pages that keep results off the web and away from tracking tools. Our front desk tools hand urgent messages to the 911 line and the on-call number, and do not triage symptoms. We do not decide who needs treatment; your clinicians do. Our tools are built with HIPAA in mind. We confirm in writing what a BAA covers before any patient information flows through a tool, and if it is not covered, we do not route patient information through it. We are not a healthcare provider and we do not give legal or medical advice. We do not sell lead lists and we do not pay for referrals. For the wider rules, see our healthcare marketing rules hub.

Sources

• NHLBI: What is Blood Cholesterol? (last updated April 17, 2024)
• NHLBI: Blood Cholesterol Symptoms (last updated April 18, 2024)
• NHLBI: Blood Cholesterol Diagnosis (last updated April 18, 2024)
• NHLBI: Blood Cholesterol Causes and Risk Factors (last updated April 19, 2024)
• NHLBI: Blood Cholesterol Treatment (last updated April 19, 2024)
• NHLBI: Living With High Cholesterol (last updated April 19, 2024)
• NHLBI: Heart Attack Symptoms (last updated March 24, 2022)
• MedlinePlus: Cholesterol (last updated March 18, 2025)
• MedlinePlus: Cholesterol Levels (last updated October 15, 2024)
• MedlinePlus Genetics: Familial hypercholesterolemia (last updated January 1, 2020)
• CDC: About Cholesterol (May 15, 2024)
• USPSTF: Statin Use for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults, final recommendation statement (August 23, 2022)
• USPSTF: Lipid Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Screening, final recommendation statement (July 18, 2023)
• NCCIH: Red Yeast Rice: What You Need To Know (last updated November 2022)
• FDA: Cholesterol home use tests (content current as of February 4, 2018)
• FDA: Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements (content current as of August 27, 2026)
• Medicare.gov: Cardiovascular disease screenings (checked October 30, 2026)
• 15 U.S.C. 45: Unfair methods of competition unlawful
• 15 U.S.C. 52: Dissemination of false advertisements
• FTC: Health Products Compliance Guidance (December 2022)
• 16 CFR 251.1: Guide concerning use of the word free and similar representations
• 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b: Criminal penalties for acts involving Federal health care programs
• 45 CFR 164.501: Definitions
• 45 CFR 164.508: Uses and disclosures for which an authorization is required
• 16 CFR 255.2: Consumer endorsements
• Google Ads: Personalized advertising policy

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